Network operators are approaching the last of three main revenue waves: voice revenue derived from basic voice communication and mobility; messaging revenue generated by peer-to-peer short message service (SMS); and access revenue driven largely by data demand. To make the most of disruptive internet service models and over-the-top (OTT) service models and to become true digital lifestyle providers, mobile operators first need to intimately understand their subscribers—what engages them, what disenchants them, what moves and inspires them—not only as individuals, but also as members of communities and groups in an increasingly mobile and social-media-oriented world.
One valuable source of information from which such knowledge could be gleaned is the virtual treasure trove of contextually rich subscriber data that operators possess. However, operators must have some way to not only store this vast amount of information but also organize and access extremely heterogeneous and unstructured data. Furthermore, in order to become digital lifestyle providers, operators also need to have the capability to mine the potentially enormous volumes of data at their disposal and extract information about subscriber behaviors that operators can then use to provide targeted services. Finally, operators also need the ability to apply this knowledge throughout their network and even across multiple networks.
Thus, in order to be digital lifestyle providers, operators need to have these four capabilities: 1) a source of subscriber data; 2) a place to store and organize this data; 3) the ability to analyze this data to determine subscriber preferences, behaviors, wants, and needs; and 4) the means to apply this knowledge to the network. In short, there is need for a network infrastructure that can provide these capabilities.